


Worth Fighting For

by steviebowles



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Angst, Best Friends Stevie Budd & David Rose, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s07e11 The Fight, F/F, Found Family, M/M, Post-Canon, Soft David Rose & Stevie Budd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:00:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29141145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steviebowles/pseuds/steviebowles
Summary: David and Stevie have the biggest fight of their friendship. Neither of them is used to having a best friend, and they don't know how to fix it or cope. Patrick and Twyla help out.
Relationships: Patrick Brewer/David Rose, Stevie Budd & David Rose, Stevie Budd/Twyla Sands
Comments: 9
Kudos: 99
Collections: Schitt's Creek Season 7





	Worth Fighting For

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [SCSeason7](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/SCSeason7) collection. 



> I wrote this as part of the Schitt's Creek Season 7 prompt fest- thank you hudders-and-hiddles for hosting! This is such an amazing idea! This fic is for "episode" 7x11- The Fight. I used the prompt:  
> "David and Stevie have a blowout fight about... something. They don't see each other for ages. They aren't even really speaking. David hates it. He misses his best friend. But he also doesn't know how to fix it because he's never had a friend worth fighting for before."
> 
> Thank you to whoever wrote this prompt! I loved it, and I hope it's okay that I added a teeny bit of Stevie/Twyla in there. I couldn't resist!

It’s Friday night, and Stevie and David are sprawled on the floor of Rose Apothecary while Patrick dusts and straightens the shelves. Patrick keeps clearing his throat and shooting frustrated looks at the unhelpful pair, but both pretend not to notice. 

“What movie are we watching tonight?”

“Pitch Perfect, like I told you last week.”

Stevie groans. “David, you must be kidding.”

“No, Stevie, you must not have seen Anna Kendrick. Or heard her sing. She’s beautiful and talented.”

“Just like me,” Patrick adds.

“Mmm, not quite like that,” David responds, but the adoring look in his eyes says otherwise. 

Although she sometimes pretends not to, Stevie typically loves watching David and Patrick together. They are perfect for each other, and there is rarely a moment when that fact is not incredibly clear. Lately, though, watching the couple has been making Stevie feel weirdly sad. It’s not that she isn’t happy for David and Patrick- on the contrary, seeing this beautiful love between two people she cares so much about makes the whole thing even better. She is genuinely ecstatic about the life that they built together. Stevie thought for a second that maybe her sadness had to do with some subconscious emotion about her previous relationship with David. She quickly realized, though, that definitely wasn’t it. Stevie is sure that what she felt for David was always a platonic love, she just didn’t recognize those feelings at first because she had never known what it was like to have a best friend.

After considering these possibilities, Stevie figured out why watching David and Patrick together is making her sad. Despite her best efforts, Stevie has never been able to stop comparing her life to other people’s. And right now, Stevie’s life is just so different from David and Patricks’ lives. And not in a good way. 

For the most part, Stevie _is_ in pretty decent place in life. She found that she is genuinely good at her job, and she truly loves it. Traveling around the country for the Rosebud Motel Group fulfills her in a way she never imagined a job could. Stevie also has friends and family like she never had before. She talks to Johnny almost every day, and although the conversations start about work, Mr. Rose always manages to sneak in a few questions about Stevie’s life outside of her career. Whenever Moira watches the recording of herself in Cabaret, which is often, she texts Stevie videos of it, and while Stevie does not need to watch Mrs. Rose’s Off-Broadway debut any more times than she already has, she knows that it’s Moira’s way of reminding Stevie that she’s thinking about her, that she remembers what they did together. Alexis has made a habit of snapping pictures of people on the streets of New York City who are wearing flannels, sending them to Stevie with tips about how she might want to “style her outfits.” Stevie will never take her fashion advice, but seeing Alexis’ name pop up onto her phone screen always makes her smile and reassures her that she won’t be forgotten by the girl-boss Rose whose friendship Stevie had grown to truly appreciate. And of course, Stevie spends even more time with David and Patrick now that the rest of the Roses are living far away. She leaves a toiletry bag and pajamas in their guest bedroom for the times that they all drink too much for anyone to drive her home. 

But despite Stevie’s successes in her career and her friendships, she’s missing what David and Patrick have- a fulfilling romantic relationship. Stevie’s been on a few dates here and there, she’s had a couple of flings during her travels, but nothing has stuck. Stevie knows she’s independent. She knows she can have a successful life on her own. But recently Stevie has been able to admit to herself that she doesn’t want that. She doesn’t want to be alone anymore. But dating is hard, and Stevie just hasn’t been able to find someone to fill that role in her life, and it’s upsetting. Stevie has never felt this kind of desperation for a partner before. She is thriving in every other aspect of her life, so the romance-shaped void is just so obvious and painful. 

Stevie knows she is unhappy. She doesn’t know, though, that other people can tell that she is unhappy. For almost her entire life, no one knew Stevie well enough to see her true emotions, so she could spew sarcasm and negativity without anyone recognizing her pain or getting hurt themselves. Stevie is still new at this family thing, so she doesn’t think twice about falling into her past patterns of harmful behavior. 

“Why do you guys have to leave me alone tomorrow?” she whines. 

“Stevie, we’ve told you a hundred times, you’re welcome to come,” Patrick replies, but his voice is only 99% patient, with 1% containing an edge that Stevie would never pick up on.

“Well, Patrick, I’ve told _you_ a hundred times that I don’t want to go to dinner with your over-drinking, thrice-divorced cousin. I have more than enough of those for myself. I just don’t understand why you guys want to go,” Stevie presses. 

“Because she’s family. I haven’t seen her in years, and after this I probably won’t see her for years, but she’s in Elmdale for the weekend. So I’m seeing her, because she’s related to me.” Stevie is still oblivious to Patrick’s waning patience, but David picks up on it, shooting his husband a sympathetic look. Stevie turns to him, confused. 

“David, why the hell are you going? You understand that family is far less important than Patrick thinks.” This, actually, isn’t quite true, as Stevie is forgetting how much the Roses have grown since she first met them and how much David really loves them. Stevie is definitely slipping into old habits. 

David doesn’t bother making this point, instead just saying “Patrick is my husband. He wants to go, so I’m going with him.” Stevie notices the sharpness in David’s tone, but their friendship is pretty much built upon irritating each other, so she continues to push. 

“I just don’t understand why you’re picking Patrick’s alcoholic cousin over me.” 

“Stevie, that’s not true,” David retorts, and yes, Stevie knows it’s not true, she knows that she’s being over-dramatic, but for some reason, she can’t stop. 

“Sure seems like it, considering you’re spending the evening with her and not with me.”

“Stevie, we hang out almost daily! We spend more time as the three of us than Patrick and I do alone!” David looks to Patrick for confirmation, but his husband is shuffling into the back room, trying to avoid the rapidly rising passions in the front of the store. 

Something about David’s words stings Stevie a bit, and her tangled emotions continue to swirl through her mind and then flow out of her mouth. “Well, if you haven’t noticed, I don’t have anyone else to spend time with, David!”

“Well, Stevie, whose problem do you think that is? I’m fairly certain it’s yours, not mine!” David tries to shout this sarcastically, but he fails, and the way it comes out makes it clear that David actually means what he just said. 

Stevie steps back like she’s been physically slapped. David Rose, the first person in her life she ever truly trusted, just vocalized her greatest insecurities and cut straight through to her heart. 

David is used to Stevie’s emotions racing across her face for only a millisecond before her signature “I couldn’t care less” mask covers them up. So David knows that he crossed a line when Stevie’s hurt is reflected in plain sight for what feels like a whole minute. When David steps towards Stevie, sighing out her name, the window to his best friend’s feelings slams shut. The unreadable, neutral, closed-off face replaces the clear pain that was there moments before. 

“Well, I won’t burden you with my presence tonight, then,” Stevie says, in a voice that manages to sound simultaneously indignant and devastated. She slams the door to Rose Apothecary on the way out, and David can tell that she’s actively working to keep her steps even and slow, so that no one that she passes on the way back to her apartment will ever know anything was wrong. 

Patrick steps out from the back. “David,” he says, his voice full of many emotions. 

“Fuck.” David replies, his tone reflecting even more. 

\--------

On the car ride back to the house, David is practically vibrating. 

“I’m such an idiot. I should never have said that. I went too far. But, honestly, she kind of needed to hear it. She’s been whiny for weeks. All I hear about is how lonely she is. So we hang out all the time. Which is fine! She’s my best friend! But she’s a little tough to be around at this moment. I’m kind of at a really great point in life right now, and her constant complaining is sort of bringing me down. I shouldn’t have yelled at her like that, even though I think she’s been provoking me. Ugh, though, Stevie’s _clearly_ going through something, and I shouldn’t have been so mean, that’s not how a best friend is supposed to act. I think. I’ve never had another best friend, so how the fuck am I supposed to know?”

Throughout this monologue, Patrick had nodded and made small noises of affirmation and played the role of supportive partner with perfect pitch. When David’s words stopped rolling out of his mouth and he was literally pulling at his hair, Patrick puts a hand on his husband’s thigh. “I think you need to tell Stevie all of that.”

“Mmm, absolutely not,” David retorts, with his chin pointing towards the sky.

“You definitely should, but if that’s too much right now, at least apologize.”

“But-”

“David, I know this seems complicated, but you know that you are at least somewhat in the wrong. You have to apologize.”

David scoffs, but shoots a text to Stevie. 

_I’m sorry. I went too far. You’re welcome to come over tonight- you’re always welcome._

David is quiet the rest of the night, and he isn’t surprised that his phone is as well. Patrick and David go to bed early, and neither mentions Pitch Perfect. 

\-------

The next morning, like any morning, David stops into Twyla’s Cafe Tropical for coffees. Twyla notices that he only orders two today, which is notable because David has ordered three coffees almost every day for the past two months. Twyla also notices that David’s demeanor is more toned down than usual, as there was a clear lack of hand movements as he placed his order, and she sees that there are dark circles peeking out beneath his eyes that even his concealer couldn’t completely hide. As Twyla looks David over, she hears the door open. Both Twyla and David turn towards the noise, so both see Stevie walk in, take one look at David, and then turn back around. Although Stevie is only in the cafe for a few seconds, Twyla can tell that something is off with her, too. There are no obvious signs, other than leaving the cafe so abruptly, as Stevie would never allow herself in public looking too vulnerable. But Twyla has known Stevie since childhood, and she has always been able to pick up on cues about her that most people don't recognize. As Twyla considers Stevie’s slightly puffy eyes and mildly blotchy cheeks, she notices that David’s shoulders are even more slumped than they were before the door opened. In her mind, Twyla starts to put the pieces together. 

Twyla’s theory is confirmed over the next few days, as Patrick uncharacteristically takes over the coffee-runner role from his husband and Stevie scans the entire cafe before entering, practically throwing her money on the counter so she can grab her to-go bag and get out as fast as possible. Clearly, David and Stevie are fighting. Badly. 

Twyla’s heart aches for them, for the two anxious souls that came together and unexpectedly became the other’s lifeline in the chaos of Schitt’s Creek. Twyla’s favorite part of the job is watching people’s stories unfold in front of her, and the story of David and Stevie has become one of her very favorites. Seeing them fighting like this is difficult, and Twyla finds herself wishing that there was something she could do. 

\-------

When she hears a knock on her door, Stevie just burrows further under the blankets. She doesn’t know who it is, and she doesn’t care. When the person knocks for the fourth time, Stevie knows that it’s not David or Patrick. They keep a spare key to her apartment in case of emergencies, and neither is above using it to let themselves in if Stevie won’t open the door. Stevie’s not sure how she feels about the fact that neither one has stormed into her apartment yet. She’s too mad to talk to David, or to Patrick about David, but she also feels she deserves an apology. Ugh. Now Stevie’s replaying the fight in her head, and her stomach clenches with anxiety for the hundredth time that week. What if they don’t get past this? Will she have to take the key back? If she does, who would she give it to instead? Hot tears spring into Stevie’s eyes as she realizes that she can not think of a single person in Schitt’s Creek that she trusts besides David and Patrick. Fuck. 

Stevie is pulled out of her inner monologue when she hears an unexpected voice call “Stevie? I saw your car outside, I know you’re in here!”

“Twyla?” Stevie thinks, but she must have said it out loud, because Twyla responds with an affirmation, though it is far less perky than normal. 

With a sigh, Stevie rolls out of bed and opens the door. 

“We had some extra pecan pie at the cafe today. I know it's your favorite, so I thought I’d bring a piece over.” Stevie can tell that there’s tension in Twyla’s voice, that there are more to her words than just food talk. It only takes Stevie a second to realize that Twyla must have figured out what was going on between her and David. While Stevie hates being so visible, she is relieved to look up and see that Twyla’s face contains no pity, just soft kindness. Stevie doesn’t do pity, and she’s glad Twyla didn’t try. 

“Um, thanks. Would you like to come in?”

“I’d love to. Thanks, Stevie!”

The girls settle onto opposite sides of Stevie’s couch with slices of pie. After some stilted small talk, Twyla looks at Stevie with wide, open eyes and asks “How are you?”

Although it’s practically in Stevie’s DNA to respond to this question in the most sarcastic and dishonest way possible, something about the way Twyla is looking at Stevie, with genuine care but without patronizing concern, makes Stevie answer differently. “Pretty shitty, actually. David and I are fighting.”

Twyla lets out a soft breath. “Yeah, I thought so. Want to talk about it?”

“Not really.” Stevie shifts her eyes towards the floor. But then, despite herself, not knowing what she is doing and why, Stevie continues to speak. “It’s not just that the fight was horrible, but it’s that I realized that if I lose David, I don’t only lose my best friend. I lose pretty much everyone who’s important to me.”

Twyla nods, moves closer to Stevie, and then puts a hand on her knee. It should be an awkward moment, but somehow it feels natural and spurs Stevie to share more.

“Like, Patrick and I are really good friends, but obviously our relationship is nothing compared to his with David. Mr. Rose is pretty much the only father figure I’ve ever had, but he’s not my real dad, he’s David’s. And Alexis and Moira are-” Stevie lets out a wet chuckle. “For some reason, they’re really important to me, and kind of feel like my family too, but again, they’re actually David’s. I just- I’ve never had people I actually loved in my life before, and of course I managed to ruin it all in one fell swoop.” 

When she stops word-vomiting, Stevie sucks in a breath. She has literally no idea why she just said any of this, especially to Twyla of all people. She is never this honest with anyone. And if what happened with David is any indication, no one wants to listen to her problems. There’s no reason for Twyla to feel any differently, especially when she just came over to deliver a slice of pie, not be part of a spontaneous therapy session. Stevie buries her head in her hands, wondering what the fuck is wrong with her and desperately trying to hide the involuntary tears sliding down her cheeks.

In a move that surprises them both, Twyla wraps her arms around Stevie. “Stevie, I don’t think that’s true. One fight doesn’t mean you’ve lost everyone. Families are stronger than that. You guys will get through this.” Twyla takes a deep breath. “Plus, you’ve got me.”

Stevie tries to respond, but just ends up letting out a small sob. Twyla holds her tighter, and for a reason she can’t articulate, Stevie relaxes into her instead of resisting. They stay there for who knows how long, both of their minds spinning with more thoughts than they can fully understand. 

\-------

“David, it’s been a week and a half. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you go this long without talking to Stevie, and I’m over the moping. You have to do something.” Patrick looks pointedly at his husband over their bowls of cereal. 

“I’ve texted her like every day! She’s the one that’s not answering,” David pouts.

“This isn’t going to be resolved over text. You need to actually apologize, really talk to her.”

“Um, it’s just that I’m not entirely sure how to do that. Like, don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty good at making up with you because I’m a master of apology sex, but I don’t think that will work with Stevie.”

“Well, that’s a statement that we will definitely need to unpack later, but really, David, apologizing is pretty simple. You just have to tell Stevie how you feel- why you said what you did, and why you feel bad about that. She’ll tell you how she feels, and then you’ll say you’re sorry and ensure that it doesn’t happen again.”

“That is so far from simple, Patrick. That plan involves a lot of talking about emotions, which, as you may have noticed, I’m not very good at. And, quite frankly, neither is Stevie. What if I just...don’t do that?”

“Well, it seems like this isn’t going to resolve itself without you doing something, so if you don’t, I think you might lose your friendship with Stevie,” Patrick says gently, but with more than a hint of seriousness. 

David’s stomach physically clenches at this thought. He could not live without Stevie in his life. David really loves his family, and he has the greatest husband in the world, but Stevie understands parts of him in a way that no other person ever could. David knows that he never could have gotten to where he is in life without her. 

With this realization, David thinks he might throw up. Stevie had gotten David through every rough day he had in Schitt’s Creek. She literally pulled him out of bed when he couldn’t get himself up. She supported him through his toughest moments, like when she brought him to a spa weekend when Patrick dropped the Rachel bombshell, and then sat there with no judgement, only love, as he worked through his feelings about that. She pointed out his wins and successes when he couldn’t remember how to see them himself. She became his friend when he was miserable and insufferable and completely broken, and she never stepped away. Now, Stevie was the one who was having a hard time, and David can’t believe that he couldn’t get his head out of his own ass enough to step up and support her for once. 

David pushes his fingers into his temples. “Fuck. Friendship is hard. And I kind of suck at it.”

Patrick chuckles and places a hand on his husband’s forearm. “It takes practice. But I know you can do it.”

\--------

After knocking three times without hearing a reply, David uses the emergency key to open the door to Stevie’s apartment. She turns away from the fridge as he steps over the threshold, and he catalogues her momentary facial expression as one of surprise, relief, and fear. But even after Stevie’s emotions are no longer visible on her face, David can tell from her body language that she’s tired and sad. His chest hurts as he thinks about how it was him who made her feel that way.

“I’m sorry, Stevie. I’m really, really sorry.”

Stevie just stares at him, clearly as uncomfortable with this situation as David is. 

“Can we talk?” David asks, and then follows Stevie to sit on the edge of her bed.

“Ugh, Stevie, I’ve been a really awful best friend. And I probably don’t say this enough, but you are a pretty great best friend, so you don’t deserve such a terrible one. I just- you know- I don’t really know how to be supportive. I’m sort of still learning about how to be a person who cares about others,” he sighs, feeling Stevie’s tense, stock-still body next to him. “That’s not an excuse, though. I’ve been here long enough. You’ve been here long enough, holding me together when I’m falling apart, and it’s time that I figure out how to be that support for you. I shouldn’t still be hurting people like this. I definitely shouldn’t be hurting you like this. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” There are tears in David’s eyes, and Stevie’s too. 

Stevie lets out a long breath. “No, David, you’re not an awful best friend. I get it- being close to other people is, like, really fucking hard, and I will never say this again, but you are kind of the one who helped me learn to trust others and um, have emotions,” Stevie has relaxed a bit, but then she pauses for a second and all of a sudden her shoulders are once again at her ears and her jaw is clenched so hard David is afraid it might crack. “I took it too far, though. My feelings really aren’t your problem. I shouldn’t be spewing my own negative emotions onto other people. I can’t be bringing everyone else down just because I’m sad.”

“Oh my god, no! Stevie, stop it,” David says, his voice rising in tone and volume. “This is _not_ your fault. It’s mine. You are allowed to be sad, you know that! And, um, I know that I don’t have a lot of experience in talking about emotions _or_ being a friend, but I am pretty certain that you are supposed to be able to share all of your feelings, good and bad, with your best friend. You’re doing everything right, I’m the one who fucked up with how I responded. I’m- I’m actually proud of you for opening up, and I’m honored that it’s to me.”

Stevie snaps her head to the side and looks at David quizzically. “What did you just say to me?”

“Okay, fine, that was out of character for me and I think I took this feelings-talk thing a little far, but you know what I mean!” David huffs.

Stevie laughs wetly. “Yeah, thank you. The thing is, I know that I’m supposed to, like, show emotion and stuff, but I really shouldn’t be affecting you with my issues. Your life is so perfect right now, with Patrick and the house and the store, and you could have only happiness if I just stopped talking and messing everything up.”

“Stevie! I know you aren’t super familiar with the concept, but people who love each other also worry about each other. That’s how it’s supposed to be. It’s okay for me to be sad that you’re sad, because you’re my best friend, and it would make me even sadder if you were unhappy without telling me about it,” David looks straight into Stevie’s eyes and cracks a small smile. “I mean, we can acknowledge that in the future, it would probably be better if you are a bit more straightforward with how you’re struggling instead of projecting onto Patrick’s poor cousin. But, in the future, I’m also going to make sure that I’m really listening to you and what you’re trying to say, because that’s what best friends do.”

Stevie takes a moment to take in his words, and then she notices that both her and David’s cheeks are wet. She wipes at her face, saying “Okay, okay. Thank you, but now we’ve crossed a line here. I don’t think we have ever spoken this much about our feelings and I don’t like it very much.”

David doesn’t give into her levity, just says in an uncharacteristically serious tone, “Yeah, but having a difficult conversation is a much better option than losing our friendship.” Stevie nods, and they share a silent moment before David giggles and then jokingly pushes into the discomfort that they both feel. “And, oh, I just cherish you more than anything, my lovely Stevie Bu-”

Stevie smacks David’s arm with a laugh. “All done. No more feelings.”

They flop back on the bed, with Stevie’s head resting in the crook of David’s armpit. Just as she decides to make a crack about the scent of his deodorant, David says “Okay, well, now that we’ve moved past the fighting about it, let’s talk about your romantic needs. There’s got to be someone around here who’s in need of boss-ass businesswoman in their life.”

“Um, actually, I think I might be making some progress in that direction already.”

David shoots up out of the bed, standing alert with an incredulous look on his face. “Excuse me?! Who? When? How? Stevie!”

Stevie props herself up on her arms and chuckles openly. “Well, I think that I should start by telling you that I’ve been thinking a lot recently about what wines I’m into…”

\--------

“Twyla, I think we’re going to have a sit-down breakfast today instead of taking it to go,” Patrick says as he sees Twyla reach for two disposable coffee cups.

“Oh, okay!” Twyla looks up and realizes that behind Patrick, David and Stevie are standing shoulder-to-shoulder. Her face breaks into a smile that is even larger than usual. “I’m so happy to see you guys.”

When the three of them slide into a booth, Stevie turns to David with a death glare. “Whatever you’re about to say, just don’t.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” David says, feigning innocence. “But, Stevie, the way she’s looking at you, I would say there are some pretty interesting images in Twyla’s mind right now.”

Stevie swats him with her menu, but then sneaks a look at Twyla. David notices, and he sees the surprisingly bright smile that spreads across Stevie’s face when she makes eye contact with Twyla, but he doesn’t bother Stevie further. David just watches his best friend, with a small smile of his own, in awe of this person who has changed so much since the day he met her all those years ago. David’s chest practically swells with pride as he thinks of how much both of them have grown- and he knows that growth never would have happened without the other. They make a pretty great pair, David and Stevie. 

Although they never speak of it again, both Stevie and David are thankful for the conversation that followed their fight. They both feel lucky that they had the opportunity to acknowledge how important they are to each other. Most of all, though, David and Stevie are both incredibly grateful that they are best friends- and that their friendship is well worth fighting for.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this! I'd love feedback :)


End file.
